About INgene blog : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog

About INgene : First ever Indian Youth trend Insights blog:This blog explores the detailed characteristics of Young-India and explains the finer & crucial differences they have with their global peers. The blog also establishes the theory of “adopted differentiation” (Copyright Kaustav SG,2007) and how the Indian & Inglodian youth are using this as a tool to differentiate themselves from the “aam aadmi” (mass population of India) to establish their new found identity.

The term youth refers to persons who are no longer children and not yet adults. Used colloquially, however the term generally refers to a broader, more ambiguous field of reference- from the physically adolescent to those in their late twenties.Though superficially the youth all over the world exhibits similar [degree of] attitude, [traits of] interests & [deliverance of] opinion but a detailed observation reveals the finer differential characteristics which are crucial and often ignored while targeting this group as a valued consumer base. India is one of the youngest countries in the world with 60% of its population less then 24 years of age and is charted as the most prospective destination for the retail investment in the A. T. Kearney’s Global Retail Opportunity Report, 2007. With the first ever non-socialistic generation’s thriving aspiration & new found money power combined with steadily growing GDP, bubbling IT industry and increasing list of confident young entrepreneurs, the scenario appears very lucrative for the global and local retailers to target the “Youngisthan” (young-India). But, the secret remains in the understanding of the finer AIOs of this generation. The Indian youth segment roughly estimates close to 250million (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five) and can be broadly divided (socio-psychologically) into three categories: the Bharatiyas, the Indians & the Inglodians (copyright Kaustav SG 2008). The Bharatiyas estimating 67% of the young population lives in the rural (R1, R2 to R4 SEC) areas with least influence of globalization, high traditional values. They are least economically privileged, most family oriented Bollywood influenced generation. The Indians constitute 31.5% (A, B,C, D & E SEC) and have moderate global influence. They are well aware of the global trends but rooted to the Indian family values, customs and ethos. The Inglodians are basically the creamy layers (A1,A SEC) and marginal (1.5% or roughly three million) in number though they are strongly growing (70% growth rate). Inglodians are affluent and consume most of the trendy & luxury items. They are internet savvy & the believers of global-village (a place where there is no difference between east & west, developing & developed countries etc.), highly influenced by the western music, food, fashion & culture yet Indian at heart.

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Sunday, December 1, 2013

Contemporary youth trends : the expression of freedom, among girls in India

Reading : What the young girls are reading in SEC2 cities

50% of the erotic novel (ie. 50 Shades of Gray) readers
in India are teenage girls. 75% of Satanism (read the previous report)
followers in India are girls! The divorce rates are phenomenally increasing,
mostly among young independent couples staying in cities like Bangalore and
Mumbai. Being a divorcee and trying for second marriage, is de-stigmatized
today and no more a social curse. The match-making sites like Second Shadi
(second marriage) are in vogue. More so, a relationship status change (in
social network like Facebook) from ‘engaged or married to’ to ‘independent’
indeed becomes a reason for celebration!‘you know, it’s like being a free bird, one can play around, one can
establish her identity, without depending on somebody’ stated Rima Chanda( 21
years), a college student from Delhi University who recently discarded her long
term ex boyfriend (‘he was not compassionate enough’ she argues) and dating
many to select the most suitable one. ‘Well, they all are my good friends! And
dating need not necessarily lead to bed (even if so, what’s wrong in it if both
agrees… ) watching a movie together or driving down to Goa might also be called
as dating, no? in fact, sometime, we all go out together!’ she adds. Her ‘best
man’ is her school mate who she insists is not her ‘date’ but a good friend to
be with and feel protected. This reminds me a super-hit Bollywood movie
starring Ranveer Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

In a country where the girls are still suppressed,
abused, teased and traumatized, a section is practicing their new found freedom
by various means.The article in Time of
India elaborates the surge of erotic book reading “What used to be a romantic sojourn through Mills &
Boon novels has now been taken over by descriptive erotica. Though the such
novels were were earlier available too, they were generally off the limits for
the youngsters, who used to take help of their older friends or even photostat
the whole book from someone instead of buying a new copy. Post 50 Shades of
Grey, the things have changed completely. With all the hype created by the
media blitz, '50 Shades' has been able to break through that taboo, so much so
that it became a talking point, ranging from workplaces to college canteens…
"When a friend of mine, who studies in Delhi, told me about the novel, I
was very apprehensive about going to a shop and buying a copy myself. Hence, I
had to ask her to courier me a copy from Delhi," says Sucheta Mitra, 23,
who is pursuing her PG. "However, since then, the scenario has changed
completely and now the girls are more open to going to the stores and asking
for particular novels themselves, which was not the case earlier," she
adds…. Concurring with the trend, Munna Toppo, a salesperson with a prominent
book store in the city says, "Earlier the girls used to ask only for soft
romantic novels like Mills and Boon series and other similar works. Rarely one
used to ask for the novels of erotic genre but after '50 Shades', things have
changed completely. More than 60% for our customers for such novels are girls,
mostly college students. While some prefer to look at the shelves and scout for
books themselves, those in a hurry simply mention the name of the book and pay the
bill and leave."… Even the youngsters have no qualms accepting their
choices and prefer calling it a result of the overall openness, a result of
overall societal changes. "I don't understand why people should have any
issue with what I'm reading or not. It should be totally my call and
thankfully, the things are finally changing. Youngsters have always been very
liberal in discussing sexual matters so why should people expect us to continue
reading flowery stuff when everything is about more graphic and descriptive
these days?," says Namrata Johri, 24 and an MBA student.

Another report states
that Satan worshipping is growing in North Eastarn India, mostly among girls. The
Morung Express mentioned that in Nagaland ‘Among the people possessed
by Satan and his evil spirits, girls consist of 75 per cent, women-5 per cent
and men-20 per cent’ .Ingene
correspondents investigated the socio psychology and understood that the
concept of ‘Satan’s Bride’ which bestows perceived black magic power to express
self and protest against social obligations (Churches and their strict norms) is
attracting girls in NE India.

Relationship: Live in
relationship and breakups

Time of India reported that the live in relationships in
Bangalore are in raise and most of the live in relationships rotate around
convenience rather than love! Hence an unwanted break-up is inevitable. Most live-in couples are in the 25-35 age group. To get
accommodation, they declare themselves a married couple. Counsellors say such
relationships are for financial and social security.

To get a house on rent, live-in couples tell landlords they are married.
"They live like husband and wife, but their relationship has no legal
sanction. When there is a break-up, we refer it to police as a case of
cheating," says Aparna Poonesh, a counsellor at the Sahaya Vani.
"It's for social and financial security. Nearly 60% of the cases referred
to us revolve around sex," says Shetty. Most cases brought to the Sahaya
Vani are from the corporate world. "They get to know each other mostly
through social media, and share the same language and culture. With their peer
groups away, they have individual choices and freedom," she adds.In bangalore, Most live-in couples are from
outside Karnataka. They find it convenient to live with someone from their own
place. Things fall apart when the boy refuses to marry the girl. This technology
hub is witnessing a sharp rise in cases of discord in live-in relationships.
Most cases reported are those of people working in the software and BPO
industries. "The number of cases of break-up in live-in relationships was
30 during 2011-12. This rose to 42 between April 2012 and March 2013. With an
average of six cases reported every month, the number is expected to double
this year," says Rani Shetty, chief coordinator with Mahila Sahaya Vani, a
family counselling centre attached to city police.

The divorce cases are also increasing sharply (20% increase in Bangalore).
Recently, Government started 3 more family courts to resolve the pending
divorce cases. In a TOI report relationship expert Dr Shyam Bhat, "Earlier
too, there were people trapped in unhappy marriages, but divorce was a dirty
word back then, and there was social stigma attached to it. Nowadays, divorces
are commonplace and there's no social stigma around it, especially in urban
centres. Gender roles have evolved tremendously and rapidly, and both the man
and the woman increasingly want to inhabit a more egalitarian society. The
joint family system of the past afforded more time to a husband and wife to
iron out their issues and differences. The child was unaffected because he had
others in the family to fall back on." Dr Bhat adds, "Nowadays, we
live in nuclear set-ups, where, more often than not, both the wife and husband
are stressed out. Their lifestyles entail high stress. Divorce is the result of
social change, not the cause of it. So, while, yes, more family courts might
encourage some to end their marriages without giving it a chance, but,
conversely, it might also help many who are trapped in miserable marriages to
get out of them faster." PS Dinesh Kumar, civil lawyer and mediator, says,
"Today, since most couples are working, their timings don't match, there
is a lack of interpersonal communication. Most couples file for divorce with
'incompatibility' as their problem." Should, then, incompatibility be seen
as a one-way street from where things invariably go downhill? Actor and
businessman, Vishal Hegde, who got hitched recently, doesn't seem to think so.

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Kaustav SenGupta's profile:

Kaustav SenGupta, an award winning academician, is the Associate Professor and HOD at National Institute of Fashion Technology. He is the Youth Market analyst, youth ethnographer, color psychologist and youth event curator in India. Kaustav is founder moderator of Ingene, the first ever open source Youth Insights research Lab in India. Over a decade, he has consulted for international brands and agencies like Nike, BBC, Groupe Adeo, Mountain Dew, Nokia UK, SkullCandy, Lenovo, O&M, Redifussion Y&R etc. on understanding the youth socio psychology of this subcontinent. He is a panelist of Titan Paradox panel, ColosNext color trend report of Asian Paints, ColorsIndia Conference etc. He is the organizer of TEDxYouth Chennai and InkLink DAM fest, (which promotes creative young talents and peer leaders). Kaustav is the only Indian Youth market analyst who's being interviewed by BBC, UK. He has authored more than 36 articles, 3 international papers, multiple columns and has mentored more than 1000 young professionals across the globe. read more about him at www.kaustavsengupta.com ,

Awards & Honours:

Kaustav has been invited by Lenovo- O&M youth insight roundtable to share his "insights" about Youth in India.He has been in colorsIndia conference as guest speaker, in Mobileyouth salon as guest panel of speakers, in Retail-jewelers India as a guest speaker, been in Asian Paints color 2013 panel as expert.Jury member of “Shilpa Guru Award- Govt. of India”- selected to be the jury member for 4 consecutive years

Testimonials & Quotes about INGENE :

"Meanwhile, trendspotter and Fashion Professor, Kaustav Sengupta, predicts that ‘eco-cool’ will be of growing importance to young consumers."

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Centre for Asian Studies

"This is a blog, so it is ever changing. However, the focus is on the trends of the youth culture in India, including information on fashion. One can look for items of interest (for example, movies) by using the blog search feature in the upper left of each page."

3) Youth drive the tech revolutionInteresting article by Ingene here.......................................9) Indian Youth are rediscovering their own youth cultureIn some respects, Indian youth are still learning the ropes when it comes to picking up on global trends. Coffee culture, Vogue and MTV may have led the way but now Indian youth want their own. Bollywood can stand on its own two feet globally and to be “desi” now is to be cool and it’s a local offering with global variance rather than a local variant of a global offering,

" While undertaking research for my blog posts, I came across Ingene, which calls itself the “first-ever Indian youth trend research blog” (http://ingene.blogspot.com/2008/08/indian-youth-lifestyle.html). Here is how the researchers in Ingene categorized Indian youth:“with the first ever non-socialistic generation’s thriving aspiration & new found money power combined with steadily growing GDP, bubbling IT industry and increasing list of confident young entrepreneurs, the scenario appears very lucrative for the global and local retailers to target the “Youngisthan” (young-India). But, the secret remains in the understanding of the finer AIOs of this generation. The Indian youth segment roughly estimates close to 250million (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five) and can be broadly divided into three categories: the Bharatiyas, the Indians & the Inglodians (copyright Kaustav SG 2008). The Bharatiyas estimating 67% of the young population lives in the rural areas with least influence of globalization, high traditional values. They are least economically privileged, most family oriented Bollywood influenced generation. The Indians constitute 31.5% and have moderate global influence. They are well aware of the global trends but rooted to the Indian family values, customs and ethos. The Inglodians are basically the creamy layers and marginal (1.5% or roughly three million) in number though they are strongly growing (70% growth rate). Inglodians are affluent and consume most of the trendy & luxury items. They are internet savvy & the believers of global-village (a place where there is no difference between east & west, developing & developed countries etc.), highly influenced by the western music, food, fashion & culture yet Indian at heart” (http://ingene.blogspot.com/2008/08/indian-youth-lifestyle.html).I am quoting this characterization at length because in spite of its obvious commercial slant, it speaks to a challenge of writing about new media practices among young Indians. This group encompasses several hundred million people, and is marked by geographical, socio-economic and gender differences. It is therefore impossible to study, or talk about, them as one group."

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Youth Marketing

"Friday, 23 January 2009Indian youth survey statisticsSource : INGENE'Over 70% of Indian youth never heard of globalisation'Posted: Dec 23, 2008 at 1336 hrs ISTA study on Indian youth finds out that attitudes towards globalisation etc haven't changed much.New Delhi: A section of Indian youth are still conservative in making friends outside their religious circles and more than a two-third have never heard about globalisation, said a report released in Delhi."

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Blogged.com

"Queer and loving it"INGENE ... on his face, the waif-thin Amrit held a 1 foot by 1 foot placard - "Queer and loving it" - and blew kisses at his male "friend". With a pair of translucent, sky blue ... of others who had gathered at the Barakhambha Road-Tolstoy Road junction Sunday evening to participate in the Delhi Queer Pride '09 parade. The "gay" parade, an annual event organized by a coalition ...

"Great data from Ingene about social networking trends and attitudes among Indians both in India and abroad.It turns out Orkut isn’t only beloved in Brazil, it’s also the most popular branded social network in India — a staggering 94% of Indian youth have an account with Orkut. Facebook comes in next at 57%."

Studying well and aspiration for a better career(better than the last previous generation) is motivating Indians (in India and abroad) to succeed better than their global peers... a report from UK reconfirms the same...

Wednesday, 11 February 2009Indian youth remains positive- even in this meltdown worldoverSource: INGENEEven in this time of "melting dream" and the nightmare of being "pink-slipped" Indian youth remains positive. The unique value of family bonding and social support has saved India earlier also...during the invasion and devastations in Mughal and British period. Check the reports below:

---------------------------------------------------------------causeandconnect.com"Fakoconsciousness" is coolSource: INGENEAmong Inglodian* & Indian youth* the Fakoconsciousness (copyright Kaustav SG 08) is cool...Fakoconsciousness means a method to create an impression that one is "attached" with an ecological or sociological cause...that can be just wearing a green tee with quotes as "go green"!

Youth are becoming socially responsibleSource: INGENEAfter the smart pink chaddi movement the trend of social awarness is spreading faster...and most of these movements are spreading / communicating through internet.various micro groups are forming through social networking sites (facebook & Orkut...essentially).

... to find the recent trends in Love & relationship. The details being given below. Kaustav SenGupta INGene 73% of the people believe commitment as to be the first and the foremost part of love when asked in a ... decide to marry each other, definitely people become choosy about their partner but once decided they will become very much possessive. Copyright : INgene & Gaurav, Chennai-India

---------------------------------------------------------------Global-Swarming:the "new look" of indian youthlooking "cool" = looking different = looking "ugly" (to the "aam admi..gosh)...that reaffirms my theory of adopted differentiation... check how wonderfully the Indian youth (the Inglodian* segment) are redefining the meaning of "being beautiful@cool"...

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indiaprblog.com

"There is a very interesting report on Indian youth trends at Ingene. What stuck me the categorisation of the Indian youth..."

I got a "virtual thank you" note :)

Thanks to Ingene (the blog that covers youth trends emerging in India) for the heads up on this (and Ruby Pseudo for helping me find Ingene… this could go on) . The Bicycle Project is an initiative designed by a few peeps to collect and repair old bicycles to give to children in villages so that they don’t have to walk such long distances to school. Above all, it is to encourage them to stay in school, to help them secure a brighter future.It’s really positive to see that new approaches to social welfare are picking up pace there.

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few comments came through mail:

Hi Kaustavji, I loved some of your insights and I feel we have much in common.... I look forward to getting to know you in days to come. Your understanding is spot on, as far as Indian youth affairs go....-Sunil Robert VAuthor - I will survive

“Many regards from Ogilvy & Mather, Delhi - not just as an opening for this mail, but also for the many insights you share with us & others through your blogs.”-Anoop MenonPlanning DirectorOgilvy & Mather, New Delhi

"i just happen to visit your blog and read a few things about you and your team in it which inspired me to write you an email. u have talked about the Indian youth trend research which is a wow.... it is a first of its kind i came across.... great going"-amitesh mukherjeeStudent

"I’ve been reading your blog and found your thoughts and studies into eco-consciousness really interesting. I especially like the way you use the phrase, ‘Eco-trendy’, What a good phrase! "-Martycurrentmedia.com

“Thank you very much for a wonderful blog and site. I was told about you from some of our many authors - and we have a lot in Indian - and very happy to see how you give value and a strong voice to young people in India. Bombadil Publishing is a global youth to youth publishing company, where young people write books for young people.”-Marianne Rugård Järvstråt, PhDBombadil Publishing ABSweden

“I had gone through your blog- http://www.ingene.blogspot.com/ and found it quite informative. We want to publish your content while mentioning the relevant information like your blog's link so that our readers could follow it up and check your blog out.”-Anjita LalAssociate Editor,ODE-Of Distinct Expressions

"I am a university student in the United States. I am working on a research paper about the influence of western culture on India, especially fashion with youth to college aged students. I have come across your blog and I find it very useful!"-Melissa MaddenStudent

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I support Udhavum Ullangal Illam (Free Home for Orphan and Helpless Elders)

Udhavum Ullangal is a free home for orphan children and helpless elderls organized by a team of retired people which is functioning in Chennai for past 8 years.

The children home functions at Adambakkam. Whereas, the elders cum children home is functioning at Maraimalai Nagar.

This home provides free food, shelter, medical care and other basic needs of life to the inmates, besides providing school education to orphan children of the home.

All the services provided by the home is dependent upon the support offered from kind hearted and helping natured people like you, for managing various expances of the home...

COPYRIGHT:

The segregation of Indian youth, The theories which Kaustav has stated here , Presentations, Graphical representations, The analysis as well as Prediction of forecoming Trends are all jointly belong to Kaustav SG & INgene (2006-2012). Any plagiarism , without prior permission, will not be tolerated.